A wild Sheep Chase

We can if we so choose, wander aimlessly over the continent of the arbitrary. Rootless as some winged seed blown about on a serendipitous spring breeze. Nonetheless, we can in the same breath deny that there is any such thing as coincidence. What's done is done, what's yet to be done is clearly yet to be, and so on. In other words, sandwiched as we are between the "everything" that is behind us and the "zero" beyond us, ours is a ephemeral existence in which there is neither coincidance nor possibility. In actual practice, however, distinctions between the two interpretations amount to precious little. A state of affairs (as with most face offs betwen interpretations) not unlike calling the same food by two different name. - Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase, Chapter 10

The thing about Murakami is his characters are so normal yet so strange. As he describes how they eat, the benin aspects of their trivial lives is a reminder to all of us how life is spent. I forget sometimes what I'm meant to be doing with life, it feels too vast, too confusing. So I get lost in words, in stories, in people in everything but myself. It is so important to reflect upon your self. To choose wisely with consciousness and  intuition, to let your heart guide you - not to distract you. To be logical about the impossible, and to make people happy - most importantly yourself. And that means stopping every now and then and evaluating where you have come from, where you are going and above all where you are. If where you are is not where you want to be, shake things up, take a risk. The bigger the risk, the bigger the fall.... But when you risk to loose everything, you invariably risk to gain everything

Pearly Pearly Whites

I'm obsessed with teeth!

Pretty straight white teeth, the "hollywood" smile. Although I also find funny crooked teeth super endearing as well.
What I really don't like are dirty, yellow, smelly teeth. So these are a few of my favorite natural lovely teeth treats.
Oil pulling, I've written about this before but I cant stress enough how amazingly clean and detoxified it makes your mouth, when I use coconut oil to oil pull every morning after about a week my teeth are shinier and whiter!
Tongue scraping. Get a tongue scraper! Over night as your body detoxes it sends all the yuckys out through your mouth in your breath, these all pass over your tongue. A tongue scraper pulls off this coating so you don't swallow it when you drink first thing in the morning or share it with your loved ones when you wake up. By the way brushing your tongue with your tooth brush can do more harm than good. It can push the toxins back into your body.

Hydrogen Peroxide for rinsing. Hydrogen peroxide is a fantastic alternative to mouthwash, I use 20% diluted with 50% - 60% water. I mix it up in a clean jar and use like a mouthwash after brushing. It whitens teeth and kills bacteria. It gets kind of foamy when it comes into contact with bacteria which feels a little odd in your mouth but I like it as I know its working. It also tastes a bit like mushrooms - if you cant cope with that add a few drops of spearmint and tea tree essential oils - just make sure you get 100% essential oils of a very high grade and don't swallow it, You can gargle this as well if you have any throat issues or a cold.
MSM and Baking soda to brush, Although a lot of the time I use a natural toothpaste (to avoid all the nasty sulfates, fluorides and other horrible things in commercial tooth paste) I also like to use a blend of MSM powder and Baking soda. 50:50 ratio in a jar. You can use one or the other as well but I like to use both. I dip in my tooth brush and brush away, it does taste a little funky - kind of metallic but it is all sorts of wonderful for your teeth, leaving them white and very clean. The natural toothpastes I use are Dessert Essence  - which is a minty one and Cornvita - which is a New Zealand Manuka toothpaste.
My last little tooth tip is use an electric tooth brush. They are better - end of story.

Beautiful Natural Skin-care

One of the mistakes I have made when it comes to skin-care is assuming that because something is all natural and filled with lovely organic ingredients that it will be good for my skin. This is not always the case. Some time last year I started getting a reaction to something I was using, I thought it was something unnatural in my collection so those were the first to go. Then I started hand washing my uniforms to avoid the dry cleaning chemical, I changed my shampoo and conditioner and even though my mum kept insisting I should check my skin-care too I swore to her there were no irritating ingredients all natural lovelies. However when I went on holidays in New Zealand I stopped using everything except water on my skin and sure enough it cleared up. Which at the time I put down to being away from Dubai and away from the air-conditioning, airplanes and even exam stress!

Just the other day I got out of the shower and was looking for a moisturizer for my face, Ive had no US flights for such a while and therefore am running low on everything. I pulled out this cream Id had for a while and stopped using just because of where Id left it in the bathroom. Within a few hours my face and neck were red and irritated. And of course in flashbacks it all came racing to the forefront of my mind - putting this cream on my arms on a flight when I has no hand cream and having the irritation spread. The timing of buying this cream and when I started getting the irritation. Now the frustrating thing for me was I had looked over what was in it and believed it to be all good lovely, organic oils and moisturizers. But thats just it, it is filed with lovelies - just not for my skin. Just because something is organic, natural, a good brand or cost a lot doesn't make it the best thing for you. If you get irritations remove everything and start again adding in one by one with at least a day or two in between. Make notes and if you find a reaction, write to the company and explain thats happening - they probably want to know.

One thing I do love for my skin is making my own cleanser - Im a bit lazy at times so like to take off my make up and cleanse at the same time - and I like to know exactly whats going into something - remember your skin absorbs everything you put on it - I try not to use something I wouldn't also eat. So heres my favorite recipe

Coconut oil cleanser

Organic virgin coconut oil 200mL (warm it until it becomes soft but not liquid)
Essential oils about 5-10 drops each but don't use more than 10 drops total ( you can use any oils you like, personally I use lavander, rose and neroli which are good for anti-wrinkles)
MSM powder 2 Tbs- I like the solgar brand OR you can use baking soda - this is to give it a little grit for exfoliating by using the MSM you get all the lovely medicinal qualities of that at the same time.

You will also need a dark glass jar - whenever you use essential oils you need dark or covered glass to protect the oils from becoming rancid.

To make the cleanser stir all the ingredients together until blended well, depending on the temperature of your house it will either solidify or stay soft. If its soft give it a little stir with a spatular before using it to mix the granules of the MSM or baking soda into it. To use it warm a small amount between your fingers and massage into dry skin. Wipe it off with a damp warm cloth. repeat if necessary. You don't need to worry about any residue left over it will leave your skin lovely, moist and glowing. Follow with oil or moisturizer or your choice - I like pure rose-hip oil.

Enjoy

Protein Ice-Cream Recipe

This is my new favorite recipe, I adore ice-cream but It doesn't fit in with my health and fitness goals so this is the most fantastic substitution. It tastes like real ice-cream, is quick and easy to make and is completely 100% guilt free!!!!!

Ingredients

5 egg whites
1 scoop whey protein powder (I like to use optimum nutrition 100% whey in vanilla ice cream flavor)
Stevia or xylitol (to taste)
1 pinch salt

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks with a pinch of salt (copper bowls are best for this but glass or ceramic will also work, If using copper skip the salt) I recommend using a hand held mixer.

Fold in the protein powder and sugar substitute

Freeze for at least one hour (longer is better if you have time)

I like to combine this recipe with protein peanut butter cups

Nutritional Information (made with 1 tbsp xylitol)

Calories - 218
Fat - 1g
Carbs - 19g
Sugar - 1g
Protein - 42g

ingredients

1 scoop of chocolate whey powder
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter (ingredients should be roasted peanuts only)
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
stevia (to Taste)
8 Tbsp water

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Scoop into silicon muffin cups or ice cube moulds (I spray these with coconut oil first)

Freeze for about an hour or until firm

These are like reeses peanut butter cups but with out the fat and carbs.

Nutritional information 1/4 of recipe (no sweetener added)

Calories - 78
Fat - 3.2
Carbs - 3.7
sugar - 1.5
Protein - 9.7

Morning Routines for Glowing Skin

Having a morning routine is both beneficial for your mind and body. I get asked fairly regularly how to achieve soft skin and treat skin disorders such as keratosis pilaris and cellulite. The most effective natural treatments for glowing, clear, firm skin are dry skin brushing and oil pulling. I always start my day by scraping my tongue, you can get a tongue scraper in the toothbrush isle of your supermarket in the UAE and in the health food store in New Zealand or other western countries.
Tongue scraping is so important first thing in the morning, your body has been working all night bringing up toxins and eliminating them from your body through sweat and breath, the residue of this ends up on your skin and tongue. Scraping your tongue first thing in the morning removes these toxins before they have a chance to be re absorbed into your body.
The next thing I do is an ayurveda technique called oil pulling, although there is no scientific evidence it works I've seen huge improvements in the condition of my skin, its improved sinus issues I get from living in Dubai, cleared up completely my keratosis pilarisis (which is those small white or red bumps people sometimes get on their upper arms or legs) and whitens your teeth. It is a very useful detoxification tool for the mouth and body. The basic run down is you swill cold pressed organic oil (I like coconut) around in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes then spit it out.
After I have scraped and swilled I get ready for my shower, thats when I dry skin brush. This is one of the most fantastic things you can do for your skin, it promotes circulation, removes dry skin, detoxifies, and leaves you soft and glowing. Using a natural bristle brush, starting from the furtherest point from your heart and always working toward your heart, use short strokes along the skin brushing away any of the nights build up of dead skin and urea. I always pay particular attention to my thighs and hips as women get a lot of fatty tissue build up there and increased circulation helps break it down.
In the shower I like to use a home made scrub for cellulite. I cut open the used nespresso pods and scrape out the coffee, or you can use grinds from your machine or even buy ground coffee for this purpose. I combine it with oil and essential oils, I like to use almond oil, but grape seed, avocado, jojoba and coconut all work well. For essential oils I like neroli for circulation and its lovely smell, but you can use a few drops of any oils you like. I rub the paste all over my skin and it stimulates circulation, exfoliates and leaves skin soft, moisturized and beautifully glowing. Just rinse off in warm water, unless you have quite dry skin you wont need moisturizer after your shower.
The last thing I do is drink half a lemon squeezed in warm water, this cleanses the body and kick starts you metabolism for the day and leaves me feeling refreshed.
A few other things that are good for your mind include affirming your intentions for the day, I like to take a moment to look over my vision board and think about what I want to achieve in the day.
Its also nice if you have the time to do some gentle yoga or walking to get your heart pumping a bit harder and kick start all the metabolic processes.
I hope you enjoy trying out some of my morning tips.
Aroha
Danella